The UN Palestinian representative in Geneva has told the current session of the UN "Human Rights" Council that Israel is starving Palestinians and dumping toxic waste onto Palestinian land. Speeches demonizing all Israelis and so-called "terrorist settlers" incite violence, but are allowed to proceed uninterrupted by the Human Rights Council President.

In the Palestinian representative's words:

"Nevertheless, Israeli planes illegally spray herbicides on agricultural lands belonging to Palestinian civilians in Gaza. These Israeli pesticides have a negative effect on Palestinian crops and cause tremendous losses for Palestinian farmers in the occupied and besieged territory...Furthermore, extremist and terrorist settlers continue to use violence to push peasants out of their land, by killing cattle, burning crops, uprooting olive trees. Of grave concern is also the practice of illegal transport and dumping of hazardous and toxic waste produced inside Israel into the occupied State of Palestine."

Date

March 8, 2017

Title

Statement by the Palestinian Representative at the 23rd meeting of the 34th session of the UN Human Rights Council, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights